US Secretary of State: Sanctions to stay in place until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine, withdraws military forces from Donbas

Washington is not going to lift anti-Russian sanctions until Kremlin returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said dekivering his opening speech at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ahead of a meeting with Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

He said Russia was arming, leading, training and fighting alongside anti-government forces in Ukraine.

According to him, Washington will never accept Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea.

He also stresed that sanctions will stay in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine.

The diplomat says the U.S. joins Europe in maintaining other sanctions until Russia withdraws military forces from the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

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